(May 29, 2024) AFT-Oregon President Ariana Jacob met with other state labor leaders at Governor Tina Kotek’s ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 1552, the Senate Education Omnibus Bill. They were joined by State Senator Courtney Neron and by State Senator Michael Dembrow, who sponsored the bill.
SB 1552 makes changes to several K-12 and higher education programs and laws and adds new programs. It directs the state to conduct a study of the Quality Education Model and the state’s system of financing public education from kindergarten through grade 12.
It also makes important adjustments to the health care benefits for part-time faculty, which has been a long-term goal for both AFT-Oregon and Ariana Jacob.
The Omnibus bill perhaps represents the crowning achievement for State Sen. Dembrow, who is retiring this year. Dembrow, who used to teach at Portland Community College and was a member of PCCFFAP Local 2277, has consistently been an advocate for education funding and for public education labor unions since joining the legislature in 2008.
